Ready Or Not, Montana Here We Come
by Gremlin-Rayne
Summary: With their mom in the hospital, in a coma, Max, her twin Iggy, and their younger brother and sister, Gazzy and Angel must go to Montana, to live with their mother's old college friend, whom they've never heard of before in their lives. There they meet her kids, make new friends, and maybe find love… Sucky summary, but hopefully the story will be better! No wings, Iggy isn't blind.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey there people of Fanfiction! This is my very first story, hope it doesn't bomb too hard. Hopefully you all will like it! I accept all reviews, negative and positive. I appreciate any feedback and will take any advice you people have for me!**

**Summary: With their mom in the hospital, in a coma, Max, her twin Iggy, and their younger brother and sister, Gazzy and Angel must go to Montana, to live with their mother's old college friend, whom they've never heard of before in their lives. There they work on her farm, meet her kids, make new friends, and maybe find love… Sucky summary, but hopefully the story will be better! No wings, Iggy is not blind.  
**

**Prologue**

"Max, honey! Wake up or you'll be late for work!" my mom shouted as she went down the stairs to make us all breakfast.

"Urgh… Mom, do I have to? I like sleep more than work!" I grumbled into my pillow. Soft footfalls moved slowly to my door.

"Max? After you're off of work, do you want to go to the park with me and Gazzy? Please Max?" my little sister Angel asked tentatively. Her and her twin brother Gazzy, otherwise known as Zephyr or the Gasman, for reasons I'd rather not say, are both 14. My mom, Valencia Martinez, is a veterinarian and a very successful one at that. She owns her own clinic, and lately, business has been very well.

My mom walked up the stairs and knocked on my door. "Max? Come on. Get up or I'll get a bucket of _ice cold_ water!"

I groan and roll over onto my stomach. "Come on Mom! Let me go back to sleep!" Footsteps faded away from my door, but I heard them go into the bathroom down the hall from my room. _Uh oh… Nah, they'll never do it! _

"Max, I'll give you one more chance. Get up or you'll get the water!" my mom tried one last time to get me up.

"NO! Now go away and leave me to sleep in peace!" I mumbled, desperately trying to go back to sleep.

"MAXIMUM ALEXANDRIA MARTINEZ! Consigue tu trasero perezoso de la cama ahora mismo! No? Bueno, aqui viene el agua!" She slammed the door open and flung a bucket of icy water onto me.

Angel and Gazzy were literally rolling on the floor laughing so hard, tears were staining their cheeks. Mom was standing over my bed, smiling.

"Buenos dias, hija. Did you sleep well? I suggest that you get ready for work and then eat your breakfast, else you'll be late. Remember that if you're late one more time, Travis is going to put you on the night shift on weekends. And you and I both know that you'll hate that. Now, get your lazy butt moving or you really will be late!" And with that, she walked out of my room and downstairs to the kitchen to finish breakfast.

My mother may be a crazy Hispanic woman, but I love her. Alright, y'all may be wondering who I am. Well, my name, as you may have heard/read earlier, is Maximum Alexandria Martinez, Max for short. Actually, if you call me anything other than Max, I'll kick your ass into next week. My fraternal twin brother, Iggy, who is a major pyromaniac, and I are both 16. We both work at the local ice cream shop, the Scooper Dooper. Yeah. Real fun place to work. If you didn't recognize the sarcasm, we're gonna have a really rough time here.

I figured I might as well get up, shower and get dressed before I really do get moved to the weekend night shift. That would really suck. Then I wouldn't get to spend weekends with my friends, sleeping over at their houses and them sleeping over at our house.

**************** Time skip to after shower and breakfast***********************

I had just finished breakfast, when my twin and best guy friend, Iggy skidded into the kitchen.

"Hey Igs, how are you this horrible Thursday morning? Ready to go to work?" I said cheerfully sarcastic.

Iggy frowned at me, and shrugged. "You do know that if we don't leave in 5 minutes, Travis is going to put us both on the weekend night shift, doofus! I've been waiting for you for what seems like an hour!"

_Oops… I only woke up about 15 minutes ago…,_ I thought to myself, while saying out loud, "Sorry Iggy! Well then, let's go! Just let me grab my work shirt. I'll be in the car in about 30 seconds!"

"Hurry up, Maxie, the clock is ticking! Alright, I'll be in the car, and I'm driving today!" he shouted out the door as he left.

I ran up the stairs to my room, grabbed my work shirt that says SCOOPER DOOPER in big, bright, neon pink letters, my phone and my house keys. Sprinting out to the car, I made it just as Iggy was about to pull away without me. "Hey, you jerk! You were gonna leave without me!" I said while punching his shoulder.

"Maaaaax! That hurt!" Iggy whined, clutching his shoulder with one arm. "I'm sorry I almost left without you, but we're gonna be late! Now we've only got 3 minutes to get to work!"

I froze, shock on my face. "Well then, step on it Igford Idiotstein! I don't want the late shift!"

********************* Time skip to lunch break ******************************

Iggy and I were on our lunch break, around 12:40, when our boss called us into his office.

"Iggy, Max, I'm afraid I have some bad news… While on her way to the veterinarian clinic about 15 minutes ago, your mother had gotten into a terrible accident. The police want you two to go home, pick up your brother and sister, and go to the hospital. They'll tell you all the details when you arrive, but they want you to hurry. I am so sorry, and I really do hope that everything will be alright. If you would like to tell me any details when you find them out, I would greatly appreciate it. Your mom and I are good friends and I care very much for you all."

Iggy and I were shell-shocked. Our mother, in a car crash? Impossible.

I spoke first. "So, they want us to go to the hospital?"

Travis replied, "They want you to pick up Gazzy and Angel first, then go to the hospital and find out what happened."

Iggy got up and mumbled, "Thank you for telling us Travis. I really appreciate your concern. C'mon Max, let's go get Gazzy and Angel."

We walked out to our car, and drove home, still in shock. When we arrived at home, I got out of the car, and made Iggy stay put. He didn't look like he could walk without falling over.

I walked into the house, to find Gazzy watching SpongeBob, and Angel reading _Worldshaker_ by Richard Harland_. _I swallowed, trying to get past the slowly growing lump in my throat.

"Umm hey guys. Can you get in the car and go for a drive with me and Igs? It would be really nice if you did." I said quietly, while turning off the T.V. "I'd bring a book, and your iPods and headphones too. Just in case. Iggy and I will be in the car, waiting for you guys when you're ready to go. Please hurry, but don't forget a sweatshirt either. Okay?"

Angel and Gazzy nodded, looking confused at my sad tone, but ran to do as they were told. I trudged back to our car and sat down. Iggy was still sitting in stunned silence. "Gazzy and Angel are grabbing a few things. I grabbed us both a change of shirt and a sweatshirt. They'll be here soon, so we can go and see mom."

Iggy just nodded and stayed staring straight ahead until the twins got in the car. Then he turned around and spoke quietly to them. "Alright guys… Me 'n' Max have s-some hard news to t-tell you. M-mom w-w-was in a c-car c-c-crash about 20 minutes ago. We're gonna go to the hospital and find out what happened. Okay?"

The twins were completely silent, Angel with tears streaming down her face. Gazzy put his arms around her, and his eyes were blurry with tears as well. But he was being a little trooper, like always, being the big, tough guy for his sister.

We drove to the hospital in silence. When we arrived, there was a police officer standing in the entrance of the ER. His voice was gruff, and loud. "Are you the Martinez family? Please follow me."

We followed him to the room where our mother was. He checked with the doctor, and sent the younger twins in to see her. We stayed outside the room to hear what happened.

"Well, your mother was driving normally, and some idiot was drinking, talking on his cell phone, and driving a semi. What happened was your mother had the green light at the corner of Main and Queen Blvd. and she went. However, the idiot driving the semi was otherwise occupied and ran the red light, crushing your mother's car. The car was totaled, and your mother is now in a coma. The medical staff have been trying everything they can to wake her up, in the short amount of time she's been here, but nothing has worked. I am so sorry, and the man driving the semi will be put on trial and made to pay large amounts of money to both your family and to the county. You may go in and see her now."

He left and we burst through the door, to see mom hooked up to all of the machines in the room. She had an IV in her arm, breathing tube up her nose, heart monitor on, and a whole bunch of other wires and tubes. Angel and Gazzy were kneeling by her bed, each of them holding onto one of her hands.

"Angel? Gazzy? Can you come here for a second?" I said sadly.

They walked over quietly. "Max? What's wrong with mom? Is she gonna be okay?"

I shook my head, "Guys we don't know. All we know is that she is in a coma and the doctors are doing everything they can to help her. Now here comes a doctor, and maybe he'll tell us what's going on."

The doctor walked in the room, and shook mine and Iggy's hands. "Hello, my name is Dr. Brigid Dwyer. Your mother is in a head trauma induced coma. We are doing everything possible in our power to get her out of it, but so far, nothing is working. Do you have anyone to stay with here? Any family or appointed guardians?"

To this, Iggy and I shook our heads. Iggy said, "No. Our dad left mom, when we were four, and the other twins were two. And we never met either set of grandparents, and mom didn't really have any close friends here that would look after us."

Dr. Dwyer shook her head sadly, "That's horrible. But, I was looking through your mom's papers, and they said that they named a "Anne Walker-Ride" as her "sister" and if anything was to happen to your mom, you all were to be sent to live with Anne. Have any of you ever heard of Anne Walker-Ride?"

We all shook our heads, looking at each other in confusion. Dr. Dwyer said that we should discuss going, since we're all minors and legally can't look after ourselves. She then left to take care of some other patients. Iggy, Gazzy, Angel and I gathered together on the floor.

"Alright guys, what do you think? Should we go, or stay?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you so much to SapphireAster and Dr. Dog-Fax-Lover for being my very first reviewers EVER! I appreciate the compliments and thank you so much again for reviewing! Haha I thought the Spanish thing was funny too! I'll try to put more of that in the story soon! **

**Oh geez, I completely forgot about the disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, shape or form own Maximum Ride. Am I a middle-aged balding man? I think not. This goes for the entire story, just in case I forget it again!**

_Recap:_

_Dr. Dwyer said we should discuss going, since we're minors and legally can't look after ourselves._

"_Alright guys, what do you think? Should we go, or stay?"_

******************************* Chapter One ******************************

I looked around again, thinking it over myself. Iggy looked like he was going to say we go, Gazzy looked like he wanted to stay here and Angel looked like she wanted to stay as well. Me on the other hand, I felt that even if we decided to stay, we would be forced to go to Montana anyways. I voiced that opinion and was met with agreement from my siblings.

Gazzy grumbled, "Why is it that other people think they know what's best for us, when they have no idea what we're thinking and how we feel on the matter? Do they realize that our only family is lying here, and if we leave, she'll be completely on her own?" He then burst into tears, which made me break down. And let me tell you, Maximum Ride does not, I repeat DOES NOT cry.

I pulled Gazzy to me and held him while he cried. It was the first time since Jeb (our father) left that he had cried. I looked at Iggy over Gazzy's shoulder, and nodded that it was time to say goodbye to mom. Not permanently though.

I moved to stand up, 14-year-old Gazzy still clinging to my arms. Together as a group, we moved over to mom's hospital bed. Angel said her temporary farewell first.

"Bye Mom, I'll see you in a little while. We're going to your friend, Anne's house, just like you said. I love you so much. Please wake up soon!" Angel stepped away, a single tear making its way down her cherubic face.

Gazzy was next. "Hey Mom, I really wish you would wake up. We need you. I don't want to go to some family I've never heard of before… What if they're not nice? What if I don't fit in? Please, please, please, please wake up! I love you Mom." Instead of his usual smile, there was a tight, straight line in place. My little trooper was trying so hard to be a grown up, and he just wasn't ready.

Iggy was after Gazzy. "Mom, don't you worry, I'll take care of those three. Even though Max doesn't think she needs taking care of, you and I both know that she does. I'll make sure that Angel and Gazzy behave and listen to Anne, and if we end up going to school in Montana, that they listen to their teachers too. Please wake up soon, Mom. Please."

Finally, me. "Mom, please wake up. Gazzy and Angel need you. They've spent their whole lives without a dad. You're their rock. Please, please. You mean the world to us all. I love you Mom, and I know Iggy does too."

Dr. Dwyer came in the room not a minute after we had finished. "Did you guys discuss going to Montana?"

I nodded. "We decided that we would go, because even if we said we wanted to stay here, someone would force us to go to Montana anyways. Do you know how we're going to get there?"

Brigid nodded. "Yes, I contacted Anne, and she arranged your plane tickets and paid for everything. It's all set up, and I have a list of clothes she wants to make sure you have. Once you have those packed, you can pack whatever else you want to bring."

While she said that, she handed me a list:

Jeans

Hiking boots/riding boots

T-shirts

Any work clothes

Shorts

Swimming suits

Tennis shoes

Shorts

Anything else you may want/need to bring

"Alright guys. Let's get home and pack," I said to my siblings. To Dr. Dwyer, I asked, "Do you know the information on our plane tickets? When our flight is, how we're going to get to the airport, when do we need to leave?"

She nodded and gave me another sheet of paper. On it was our departure time, where to pick up our tickets in the airport, the number of the taxi that was taking us to the airport, and the time that the taxi was coming to pick us up. It was in 3 hours.

I showed Iggy, and he started to lead the Gasman and Angel out to the car. I stayed behind to thank Dr. Dwyer, and to say goodbye one last time.

********************** Time skip to packing at the house **********************

I randomly started throwing all of my jeans into one of my oversized duffel bags, along with all of my shorts, basketball and denim alike. Next to those, I stuffed in my T-shirts, plaid button-up shirts and my tank-tops. Alongside those, I put my dark blue one-piece swimsuit. On top of my pants, I put two pair of Converse, one pair of running shoes, and my pair of old riding boots, from when I used to help out in the barn of the animal clinic. Then I zipped up the bag. In the side pockets, I put my iPod charger and phone charger, and my toothbrush and hairbrush. Once I took a look around my room to make sure I hadn't missed anything, and to remember it, I went downstairs to wait for the others.

About 10 minutes after I was done, the others came downstairs. We all took one last look around the house, and went outside with all of our things to wait for the taxi. We didn't have to wait long, because the taxi was already on its way down our road. The taxi driver kindly loaded all our bags into the trunk, and made sure we were all in the taxi before taking off for the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Less than an hour later, we were on the plane to Billings International Airport, departing from hot, sunny Arizona.

************* Time skip to landing at Billings International Airport *************

"_Please stay seated with your seat belts fastened until we arrive at our gate. Thank you for flying Frontier Airlines, please fly with us again!"_

I looked over to my right, to see Angel sleeping, with her head against the window. Shaking her shoulder gently, I said, "Wake up sweetie, we've gotta get off the plane. Are you ready to meet Anne?"

She yawned and nodded. "I just want mom to be better, Max."

"I know hon. I know. We all do." I smiled, trying to be happy for my little sister.

We all walked off the plane, trying to look for someone we had never seen before, or heard a description of before. It's very fun, you should try it sometime. Once again, sarcasm. If you didn't see that, go see a doctor.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tall blondish-brown haired woman holding a sign that said, "WELCOME MARTINEZES" on it. I pointed over at her, and Iggy nodded, to confirm. "Come on Gazzy, Angel, let's go meet mom's supposed best friend from college."

We walked over to her. "Excuse me, but are you Anne Walker-Ride? We're the Martinez family, children of Valencia Martinez." I said politely, but still having a harsh tone, just in case it was a creeper who had stolen the sign.

The woman beamed, and started babbling. "Why yes, I am Anne Walker-Ride. Oh wow, you must be Max, you have Valencia's eyes. You're her twin, James, right? And you're Zephyr, and you're Angelica? Sheesh, I don't know how Valencia made it through two pregnancies, each with a set of twins!"

My eyes flew open, but I recovered quickly from my initial shock. "Yes, I'm Max, this is my twin, he prefers to be called Iggy. These are our younger siblings, he prefers to be called Gazzy, and she prefers to be called Angel. And you got my name right on the first try, unlike so many other people on this earth. Thank you for that by the way!"

Anne smiled warmly, and asked, "Well, are you all ready to head out to the farm, and meet my kids? Gosh knows I am! Anyways, please follow me to the Navigator!"

We all played follow the leader with Anne out to her SUV, and then climbed into the back. It was about an hour and a half drive just to get to her farm.

I climbed out of the Navigator first, and stretched my long legs. The first thing I saw when I looked around was a big, black gelding, with a boy mine and Iggy's age, on his back. The boy had black hair and an olive-toned complexion. Despite the heat, he was wearing all black. When he spotted Anne, he rode over competently, tipping his black cowboy hat to me, Angel, Gazzy and Iggy.

Anne smiled broadly, and introduced us. "Max, Iggy, Gazzy, Angel, I'd like you to meet my son, Nick. Nick meet Max, Iggy, Gazzy and Angel! Now I'll let you all come in and get yourselves settled in your respective rooms, and then I'll have Nick, Monique, Ari and Ella show you around the ranch!"

The last things I saw before the front door shut behind me, were Nick's eyes. They were a deep, dark obsidian, flecked with gold and purple. They looked like he could see into my soul, and know my deepest, darkest secrets without trying. They were beautiful. Wait, wait, what am I talking about? Maximum Ride doesn't say beautiful. Never mind, it's probably from the long plane ride without any sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Anne showed Gazzy to his room first. It was the room closest to the stairs of the big house. He stepped inside and his face lit up. The walls were a dark blue, fading to a pale blue towards the ceiling. There was a big table at the back of the room, in the corner by the window, which I'm sure he and Iggy were already devising plans for intricate bombs to build and detonate with all this open space now. He turned and smiled at us, and we all smiled back, relieved that there were no tears on his face.

Iggy walked over to Gazzy to help him put things away, and probably to discuss pyro-things amongst themselves. I just hoped that they wouldn't get themselves into too much trouble.

Anne led Angel to her room, right next to Gazzy's. The walls were a pale pink, darkening to a vibrant hot pink at the ceiling. There was a fluffy white chair by the window, and a bookshelf beside the window as well. Angel turned towards Anne and said thank you in a small, awed voice.

I smiled and shook my head. "Alright, Anne, lead on, I guess," I said, and then looking at Angel, "I'll be in once I look at my room, to help you unpack and put everything away. I know you're old enough to do it yourself, but I want to talk to you too, hon." She nodded and smiled softly at me.

Anne pointed out Iggy's room to me on our way to the end of the hallway. His was across the hall from Angel's. Mine, however was all the way down the hall. I opened the door slowly, expecting pink. To my happy surprise, the walls were purple, darkening to a deep purple-black at the ceiling. I turned to Anne in surprise. "How did you know our favorite colors, let alone have our rooms painted in time, when you only found out about us coming a few hours ago?" I asked, somewhat in shock.

She smiled warmly, and answered, "Val and I kept in touch after college, more so after Jeb left. I know almost everything about you kids. Even things I know you don't remember at all. I'm not sure why Val never told y'all about me, or my kids. Maybe she'll tell us all when she wakes up. I'm sure she will darling'."

I nodded, silent. Boy could Anne talk. I think she could talk the hind end off a donkey. "So, when did you want your kids to show us around the place? I want to have time to unpack and change first, though," I smiled politely at her.

"Go on right ahead, dear. Just gather your siblings outside the front door when you're all ready for the grand tour! Take your time, as long as you need. I'll be downstairs if y'all need anything!" And with that, she took off down the hallway, and down the spiral-ish staircase, out of sight.

I walked into my room and plopped down on the bed with my duffel bag beside me. I sighed and began unpacking. Plaid shirts in the closet, jeans in the bottom dresser drawer; shorts in the drawer above the jeans, T-shirts and other shirts in the drawer above the shorts; underwear and bras, and swimsuits in the top drawer; Converse, riding boots and running shoes in the closet. IPod dock and phone charger on the nightstand, phone and IPod on the nightstand as well.

I pulled out a pair of cut-offs, really short ones, as well as my favorite Three Days Grace shirt, and my cowboy boots. All together, it was looked nice. Angel must be getting to me. I never care about how I look. Grrrrr…. That child was gonna pay for this! Nah, I love her too much for that.

I finished dressing and went to help Angel. She was almost done, putting up pictures she brought from home: me and Iggy at our birthday last year, him ruffling my hair, me tickling his sides; mom holding her and Gazzy when they were four; Gazzy sitting on Iggy while I was laughing at both of them; me and Angel whispering, pointing and laughing at Gazzy; me holding Angel when she had had a bad dream. She was lovingly wiping them clean and gently placing them on her dresser.

I went up to her and gathered her in a big hug. Angel looked up at me in shock. Yeah, I'm not much of a hugger, not even to my own family. She hugged me back harder, not wanting to let me go. I pulled away though. "You all done Ange? Pick something light to wear, we're gonna get a tour of the place once you, Gazzy and Iggy are all done. I'd wear your boots, though. Love ya', and I'll be either in Gazzy's room or Iggy's if you need me."

With that, I left to go check on Gazzy. He was picking out clothes to change into. Trying to be funny, I said, "Hey buddy. How goes the unpacking for you?" in a fake English accent.

He looked up at me, smiled at my fail of an English accent and spoke like a true Brit. "Maxie, don't even try. You just disgrace the country of Britain every time you try dearie." That child was born with the gift of mimicry, and a funky digestive system. Do not get caught in an enclosed space with him after he's had tacos. It is NOT fun!

"Alright bud. Just remember to wear something light. And to wear your boots. I'll be in Iggy's room if you need me."

"Okay Max, love you sis!" He whispers as he gives me a hug, that I return right away. I walk out of his room with a small smile.

Iggy is all done unpacking and dressing. He's wearing his faded blue jeans and a Panic! At the Disco T-shirt that I am very jealous of and will be stealing soon.

"Hey Igs. You ready to go tour the place? I know you can't wait to check out some hot chicks! Oh my turtles I can't believe I just said that." I groan to myself after that last part. Iggy smirked and said, "C'mon Max, you know that you'll give in soon to my perverted ways! We are twins you know!"

I smirked and snapped right back with, "Yeah and that's what I'm afraid of! We don't need another perv in the family! Lord knows what you're teaching Gazzy, and Angel already has a potty mouth, even though that may be partially my fault. But that's beside the point you pervy perv! Now come on, Anne and her kids must be waiting for us by now."

We walk into the hallway to see Angel and Gazzy teasing each other like Iggy and I were before. I smile at Iggy, and he smiles right back.

"Alright guys, you ready for this tour? All I know is that I'm starving, and could go for some of your cookies, Igs!" I said, while the bottomless pit I call my stomach growled like a poked bear. They all laughed at my stomach and my seemingly never-ending hunger.

We all trotted down the stairs, and out the front door. Standing in front of the porch was a stunning African-American girl, with slightly frizzy brown-black hair, and a lovely mocha-colored complexion. She was talking to Nick and some other pretty girl. She was of what looked to be Mexican descent, with her tanned skin and blackish hair. Nick noticed us first, and his eyes widened a little when he saw my long, tanned legs underneath my short-shorts and brown cowboy boots.

I smirked a little, and drawled, "You like what you see, cowboy? Take a picture, it'll last longer." Iggy, Gazzy, Angel, and the other two girls roared with laughter at Nick's obvious discomfort. His eyes bored into mine, like a never-ending abyss of darkness.

He did a little half-smirk thing, and retorted, "I could say the same for you city-girl. I saw you drooling earlier."

My mouth dropped open. "Oh, you did not just go there, you jerk! You are dead meat!" I launched myself at him, catching him by surprise, and tackling him to the dirt. I had him pinned in a matter of seconds, but he somehow overpowered me, and flipped us over, efficiently pinning me with his body.

I blew my bangs out of my eyes, stunned that someone finally beat me. "So cowboy, mind getting off of me? This is kind of awkward."

Nick did the half-smirk thing again, his eyes thoughtful and amused. "I'm not so sure you want me to move, city-girl. I don't think this is awkward at all. You like it, don't you?"

I smiled sweetly, and then kneed him where the sun don't shine and pushed him off of me. Iggy helped me up, and slapped me a high five, laughing at Nick.

The two unknown girls were still laughing at Nick, and then decided to introduce themselves, rather than help him up.

"Hi! I'm Monique, but you can call me Nudge! ZOMG your hair is sooo pretty! And your sense of style could use some work, but it suits you soooooo much! What's your name? I wish my name could be Tiffany. Or Krystal! Oooooh what about Tiffany-Krystal?! ZOMG that would be soo cool! If my name was Tiffany-Krystal, I would be a model. Models always have interesting names! Just like aupoautojghaet…"

Iggy, Angel, Gazzy and I just stared at the African-American girl, now with the name of Nudge. The Mexican-looking girl stood next to her with a hand slapped over her mouth. That had all been said with only one breath! And I think she could've gone on!

The girl with her hand over Nudge's mouth smile and said, "I'm sorry about that! She's mine and Nick's adopted sister. She could turn Mother Theresa into an axe murder. My name is Ella. Nudge and I are both 15, and Nick, or as he prefers to be called, Fang, is 16."

Iggy and Gazzy smile warmly at both girls. Iggy decided to introduce us all. "Well ladies, my name is Iggy, that lovely lady over there is my twin sister Max. This is my younger brother Gazzy and his lovely twin Angel. Be forewarned, the name is misleading!"

We all cracked a smile at that. Nick, or Fang, had finally gotten up, and was gingerly glancing at me. I smiled, laughing internally at his discomfort.

"Hey there, Fangles! Are you able to have children, or did I ruin that joy for you?" I said while snickering at his slightly queasy glare. That wouldn't scare a fly.

Nudge, with Ella's hand removed, ecstatically stated, "It's time for your tour of our home! Grab a buddy, and we'll head off to find our other adopted brother Ari! Okay, I'll go with Gazzy, Iggy with Ella, Angel, when we find Ari you'll be with him, and Max you're with Fang! Let's go find Ari!"

And off we went, with Fang glaring weak daggers at the side of my head. I unfortunately, being the clutz I am, managed to trip and fall into a hole in their oh so lovely driveway. Instinctively, Fang grabbed me to keep me from falling. His arms wrapped around my waist and his eyes stared intensely into my chocolatey-brown ones. Iggy wolf-whistled, and we broke eye contact.

My cheeks felt like they were on fire, and everyone laughed. After that, we continued to search for Ari.

My brain whirred and gears started turning as I realized something. Fang hadn't let go of my arm or hand. Why won't he let me go? We only met like an hour or so ago! No! I can't get attached! Not after Sam. Not after what happened last year.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry this is late, I'll try to update regularly on Fridays and/or Saturdays. You can thank the amazing band Walk Off the Earth for the inspiration for this lovely chapter. Thank you all for the reviews! Would it be too much to ask for a few more? Even if it has nothing to do with the story, it would really make my day if y'all took the time to leave a completely random review!**

**Okay, in this chapter you find out what happened with Sam. Hope you all like it! And if you have the time, please check out the band Walk Off the Earth!**

**On with the story!**

_*One year previously*_

"_Max, hon. We have to talk," JJ said. "You remember your oh so faithful boyfriend? Look over at Starbucks."_

_I looked at her, like she had lost her mind, but complied. What I saw, shattered everything in my then peaceful life._

_Sam, my boyfriend of 11 months, was playing tonsil hockey with the school's very own prostitute. I felt my face go blank, as I stood up._

"_JJ, I'll be right back. If I don't come back, just meet me at my house in 20 minutes. Okay?" I walked away before she could answer me._

_I coughed somewhat discreetly, and put on a sweet, innocent little smile. Sam and Kate broke apart. She looked smug, the selfish bitch. Sammy boy on the other hand, looked downright ashamed. Good. _

"_So Sam, guess what? I happened to be shopping with JJ, and to our surprise, we saw you having coffee with this whore. Do you know what's going to happen now? Do you? If not, this is for you." I punched him as hard as I could, knocking the lying traitor to the ground. I turned to Kate. She smiled shakily at me, trying to pull off a glare._

"_Nice try, go spread your crabs to others, why don't you? Thanks," I snarled at her._

_Her eyes bulged out a little, as she tried to think of a comeback. She had nothing. As Kate stomped away, she turned around and flipped me off. When she turned back around, she tripped over someone's purse, and fell face first into the fountain in the middle of the food court. When she surfaced, all her makeup was smeared, and we all got a good long look at her horrible acne._

_After that lovely scene, I turned, grabbed my things and left the mall for home._

_*********************Time skip to the house*********************************_

"_I can't believe he did that!" JJ was on a marathon rant, it had been well over an hour since all this drama had happened. This rant was turning into a JJ record. "That dirty, lying scumbag! How dare he cheat on your awesomeness?! That's it, he's going to regret all of this!"_

_I put my hands on her shoulders, and advised, "JJ, breathe. You're gonna pass out if you don't. I need you to not pass out, so we can plan some revenge here. I need your amazing ideas! I have nothing that is effective and lasting!"_

_JJ looked at me slyly, and got this evil glint in her eyes. "Oh don't you worry about that babe, I gots it covered. Now here's what we're gonna do."_

_She finished her recipe for the ultimate revenge, and I laughed at her epic evil genius chuckle. It is seriously something to fear._

"_Alright, let's go find our supplies for Operation Get The Ultimate Revenge On That Cheating Lying Jackass, or GTUROTCLB!" JJ said, ecstatic that we were actually going to do it._

_********************Time skip to REVENGE**********************************_

"_You have the key to his house, right?" JJ asked me in a low whisper. Currently, we were crouched outside Sam's house, waiting for him to leave for a family outing. Ha, now that's hilarious. He hated his family, and usually tried everything he could to escape what he called "torture". Idiot._

_I nodded, and waved the key in front of her nose. "Yup, do you have the stuff?"_

_She grinned and shook the bag we had stuffed all of the supplies into. We heard the front door slam, as Sam stormed out of the house. He got into his shiny silver Camero, and peeled out of the driveway like a bat outta hell._

_We waited until he had turned onto the main road out of town before we stood up, and ran to the door. I unlocked it, and JJ sprinted up the stairs, with me not far behind._

"_Alright, this is it! You remember what you're doing? Good, now let's get to work!" Almost bursting with excitement, JJ scuttled off to the bathroom, holding neon pink hair dye, and deep tanning lotion. I, on the other hand, was holding a can of pink spray paint, and a can of purple. I went into his room, the walls painted white. Starting in the corner farthest away from the door, I began to paint phrases that should've never been said. EVER. _

_10 minutes later, his room was now pink and black, covered in shameful words, and incriminating evidence that he was both a heroin addict, and a male prostitute. All evidence was made up by yours truly, but I had to come up with something damaging. I smirked at my handiwork. JJ busted into the room, and burst out laughing._

"_Ha wow! Well, he does deserve it. I know he's cheated on his other girlfriends too, so it's payback from all of them too. Now let's get out of here, before the Devil incarnate comes to his lair."_

_We double checked for all of our things, and the sprinted down the stairs, and out the door, pausing only once to lock up the door as it had been before._

_As we ran down the street towards my house, my heart felt light, and carefree. I smiled at JJ, and she grinned back at me._

_Once safe inside my house, and in my room, we collapsed on the floor, laughing our asses off._

"_Dang, that was good! I can't wait to see what he looks like! I'm going to go get some food, do you want anything?" JJ asked me, sounding a little on the hyper side of life._

_I shook my head and smiled up at her from the floor. She left with a little twirl, and flounced down the stairs with all her JJ style. I could hear her picking through the cupboards in the kitchen, and searching through the pantry. It's a good thing that Iggy, Gazzy, Angel and my mom weren't home, or we'd get questioned up the yin yang about our antics._

_Around five minutes after JJ disappeared downstairs, I hear a noise outside my window, like a squirrel or bird scratching at the roof. My eyes flew open, and I saw a silhouette, black as night against the bright, white light of the moon. My window shattered, scattering shards of glass violently across the room. There was a thump, as the silhouette jumped into the room._

"_Well, well, Max. I thought you were better than that. I thought you were too good for revenge, hmmm?" Sam's voice took on a sinister tone, as he stalked toward me. He reached down swiftly, grabbing at my throat, and lifting me off the floor and effectively cutting off any screams to JJ._

"_The little mouse got caught, hmmm? What shall we do now, little mouse? Should we toss you out the window, or cut your pretty little face? Ahhhh, I know, we should play a little game. It's called, chase the mouse. You're the mouse, and I get to catch you." He laughed cruelly, and dropped me to the floor. _

_Sam took a step towards me, and kicked out at my stomach. His foot connected, and sent a spasm rocking through my body._

"_Get up, you worthless bitch! You brought this on yourself. Get UP!" He spat at me, literally and figuratively. I scrambled up slowly, and stumbled out my bedroom door._

_He walked heavily behind me, waiting for me to speed up. Probably getting impatient, he kicked the back of my knee, sending me tumbling down the stairs. Finally hearing the ruckus, JJ shot out of the kitchen holding a baseball bat. _

_Dimly, through the fluxuating darkness, I saw JJ threatening Sam with the bat, keeping him in one spot as she called the police. Not five minutes after she called, they showed up, and arrested Sam._

*Present Day*

Fang still had his grip on my arm, but it was a relaxed grip. I coughed a little, trying to break his hold.

"Are you alright? You were zoning, and I didn't want you to fall again," Fang looked at me with concern, then smirked.

"What is that smirk for? And I was reliving a horrible memory, if you must know. Now, if you don't mind too much, could you please remove your hand?" I looked pointedly at my arm, and he pulled his hand away as if it had been burned.

I looked ahead, my arm tingling a little from his touch. I started to sing quietly to myself, looking at the back of Iggy's head.

(Syndicate by the Fray) ** (A/N: I love the piano part for this song! It is beautiful!)**

_Halfway around the world_

_Lies the one thing that you want_

_Buried in the ground, hundreds of miles down  
First thing that arises in your mind while you awake  
Bending you til you break  
Let me hold you now_

_Baby close your eyes_  
_Don't open til the morning light_  
_Baby don't forget_  
_You haven't lost it all yet_

_Don't know what your made of_  
_Til the one thing that you want_  
_To come in with the dawn and suddenly changes_  
_Monday, syndicate me, its everyone the same_  
_But all we've lost to the flame_  
_Listen to me now_

_Baby close your eyes_  
_Don't open til the morning light_  
_Don't ever forget_  
_We haven't lost it all yet_  
_All we know for sure_  
_Is all that we are fighting for_  
_Baby don't forget_  
_We haven't lost it all yet_

_Someday when this is over_  
_We mix it up, no answer_  
_For now its when I hold her_  
_We are closer, we are closer_  
_We are closer, we are closer_

_Baby close your eyes_  
_Don't open til the morning light_  
_Don't ever forget_  
_We haven't lost it all yet_  
_And all we know for sure_  
_Is all that we are fighting for_  
_Baby don't forget_  
_We haven't lost it all yet_

_We are closer_  
_we are closer_  
_(We haven't lost it all yet)_  
_Now we are closer_  
_(We haven't lost it all yet)_  
_We are closer_

I swiveled my eyes around, and found that everyone was staring at me, except my family. Nudge's jaw was picking up dirt, and Ella's eyes were huge. Fang was seemingly awestruck.

"What are you all staring at? Did I do something wrong? Is there something on my face?" I asked, feeling a little self-conscious. They shook their heads, protesting vehemently.

"No, no, Max! Your voice, it's… It's beautiful! You should sing professionally!" Ella said rapidly. Fang and Nudge agreed, nodded and looking at me like I was royalty.

Iggy smirked at me, and said, "See Maxie, we told you, now we're not the only ones! You should sing more often!"

I shook my head and blushed. "No, no, no… I shouldn't sing more often, and besides, I only sing for fun, not professionally. Sorry to disappoint though…"

A new voice chimed in, "Now who has the lovely vocal chords that produced that beautiful sound I heard a moment ago?"

**A/N: Ha! Cliffy! Not much of a cliffy though… Pooh. Oh well! **

**Now, it's 1:23 a.m. on Turkey Day, so I should get some sleep now. Thanks for reading! Remember to review! If it's random and crazy, I don't mind, any reviews are welcome! Oh and also remember to check out the band Walk Off the Earth!**

**HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL!**

**~Gremlin~**


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